I recently switched to Lavender and White Tea natural deodorant. If I wasn't already, I am now officially the girliest dude in my family. I remember coming home all banged up from high school basketball practice and my mom would ask me if I wanted to take a hot bath. Uh, no! How ultra-uncool is it for a teenage wanna-be jock to take a bubble bath?! 12 years later and 20+ yoga classes under my belt, I sit in the very bath I vowed never to stand for. Well, almost… a few less bubbles and a little more Epsom salt than my mom’s brew, but still every bit as “pampery”. The common sentiment out there is that we should suck it up and tough it out. Whether “it” is work woes or a bum back, the take home message is the same – push through it. It’s not until “it” has kept us up for 7 sleepless nights in a row that we cave into taking care of the problem. But the real problem is that we should be taking care of ourselves in order to avoid getting into the mess in the first place. Baths and aromatherpy, acupuncture and massage, herbal tea and fresh food – these are the keys to helping our bodies and minds maintain their ability to heal and ward off disease and defect. Far from a luxury, good self-care is what allows us to thrive! My girlfriend and I recently ran straight trough this year’s hardcore flu like a running back through a weak defensive line. A day of a few sniffles and minimal bodyaches were all the poor bug managed to muster against our full-blown alternative medicine assault. The day went something like this: 7:00 AM dropper-full of Echinechea/Golden Seal 7:03 AM: vitamin C gummy bear with zinc (my girlfriend is a bit of a kid when it comes to pills) 7:30 AM: herbal tea 8:30 AM: hot bath with epsom salt 10:15 AM: more Echinechea/Golden Seal 10:16 AM: Gan Mao Ling (Chinese herb version of Echinechea) 2:13 PM: more herbal tea 3:45 PM: another vitamin C gummy 4:00 PM: power nap 5:43 PM: more Echinechea/Golden Seal 6:20 PM: soup with fresh garlic, ginger, and scallions 6:45 PM: more Gan Mao Ling 8:32 PM: vitamin C gummy 9:45 PM: Gua Sha (“skin scraping”, but really more like a massage) 9:58 PM: Bed time Sounds like a lot, but most of these things are just a matter of remembering to do them, and doing them often enough for them to work. And if it’s a choice between a couple of 30-minute baths and some herbs, versus taking 3 days off of work and feeling miserable while doing it, I’ll opt for the girly man health regimen any day of the week.

Behind the Voices

Jenny Chen is an award-winning multimedia journalist and science writer. Her work has appeared in The Atlantic, Time.com, and NPR member stations. She was formerly the editor-in0chief of a local Asian American news magazine called Asian Fortune. Jenny is an avid fan or acupuncture and holistic medicine - and especially a fan of OurSpace!

Farris grew up in Georgia and worked for years as a youth wilderness counselor, teacher, and tutor before moving to Maryland to pursue a degree in acupuncture. A recent Tai Sophia graduate, he is committed to bringing affordable acupuncture and wellness education to groups in the DC Metro area. As Farris puts it, “I am continually amazed that tiny pins inserted just under the surface of the skin and a thoughtful question by a practitioner helped heal my shoulder, strengthen my bladder, and lift my depression; the same medicine has allowed me to help others heal their necks, stomachs, cancers, and spirits. I believe acupuncture is the answer to crises of healthcare, community, and ultimately the planet."